Curated OER
Look Before You Think: How To Appreciate a Painting
Learners develop an elementary understanding of the history of art. They study the basic elements of a painting including perspective, composition, color, light and symbolism. They look at each selected painting and analyze it, moving...
Curated OER
I Spy (Camouflaged Animals in Art!)
Make connections about animal characteristics and the animal's environment. In this animal characteristics lesson, students use a piece of art as a springboard for a discussion about animals and camouflage. Students choose an animal that...
Curated OER
The Declaration of Independence
Fifth graders participate in a discussion about the Declaration of Independence. In this Declaration of Independence lesson, 5th graders write imaginary stories in the voice of a member of the committee at Independence hall. Students...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Analyzing Literary Elements in Fiction
Students analyze the characters and events in fictional writing. In this literary elements lesson, students study the meaning of the words characterization and fiction. They listen to the story Pigsty by Mark Teague, or any other book...
Curated OER
The Influence of Jazz Music in Twentieth Century Art
Students examine the effect of music on society. While listening to music, they identify the beat, rhythm and write down their reaction to it. Listening to longer selections, they assign a color to the music and share it with the...
Curated OER
Poetry for the Elementary Classroom
Use Shel Silverstein's poem "Batty" to introduce poetry to young readers. This instructional activity is not formatted well, but the plan does suggest learners memorize a poem, recite the poem individually, and then recite the poem as a...
Curated OER
A Photo Essay
Students create a photo essay and present it to the class. The students bring photos to use for their essay and develop a story using the photos. The students write captions including characters, setting, and plot for each photo. They...
Curated OER
Creative Writing
Fourth graders participate in an observation hike in this lesson. They orally share observations from their hike, and develop a paragraph in a shared writing exercise. Finally, the write their paragraph about process writing in their...
Curated OER
Ecology: Trees
Fourth graders, while working in the classroom and the computer lab, utilizing supporting facts from previous lessons, write a creative story that imagines a world without forests. They write, type and print their stories and turn them...
Curated OER
Robert Munsch: Author Study
Students study Robert Munsch's style of writing. In this literature lesson, students read many of Robert Munsch's books, write a list of the characteristics found in his books, and write or orally tell a story using some of these...
Curated OER
Prom Letters
Students write two narrative letters, one to their grandparent and one to their best friend, describing their prom date. They organize the details on a graphic organizer, and write the letters addressing the style, tone, and level of...
Curated OER
Will the Real Ben Franklin Please Stand Up?
Students explore the life and accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin. In this colonial history lesson, students research Benjamin Franklin's work as a printer, a writer, a statesman, and an inventor. Students determine what his most...
Curated OER
Slavery and the Underground Railroad
Fourth graders study slavery escape routes of the Underground Railroad on maps, read an account of an escape and then write narrative essays about a fictional slave's escape.
Curated OER
Responding To Literature
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes nineteen lessons, each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading and response activities are included for each lesson as well as extension and...
Curated OER
Explain Your Vote!
Students improve their essay writing skills using the subject of voting as a topic. In this writing essays lesson, students write expository essays to increase the weight of their vote in the 'Cast Your Vote Poll' for the Trans-Amazon...
Curated OER
Common People of the American Revolution
Eleventh graders study the people of the American Revolution. In this American History lesson, 11th graders participate in a simulation that explains the different people of this time.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Concluding the Novel
As I Lay Dying is a beautiful book and a wonderful vehicle for understanding, interpreting, and comparing themes. The class reads and analyzes the novel, discusses possible interpretations, and characterizations. They compare the themes...
California Education Partners
Vincent Van Gogh
Living in someone's shadow would be difficult for anyone, including one of the most talented artists of the modern age. Middle schoolers read an excerpt from Vincent Van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan...
Advocates for Human Rights
Refugees and Asylum Seekers
To gain a deeper understanding of the plight of refugees and asylum seekers, class members read stories written from the point of view of an emigrant, map the individual's journey, and note the human rights affected by each stage of the...
Curated OER
A Dream and an Idea: Searching for a Roadmap to Create a Country
Students compare and contrast opposing visions of government held by the founding fathers. They evaluate the roles of historical leaders in shaping the U.S. as an emerging nation.
Curated OER
It's All Part of the Story
Students explore storytelling through pantomime, improvisation, and dramatization. They watch an online video, discuss Native American earth stories, role-play various situations, explore websites, and present an oral story to the class.
Curated OER
American Civil Rights Movement, Photo Essay
Students view photographs from the Civil Rights Movement and write an essay from the point of view of someone in the photograph. They artistically represent various aspects of the Movement.
Curated OER
Newspaper Poetry
High schoolers cut out nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs from newspapers and create poems using words they have found.
Curated OER
If I Could Talk Like the Animals. . .
Students read and discuss a film review of the animated movie Antz and then write a monologue from the perspective of a non-human organism.